Statement by
Ambassador Rezlan Ishar Jenie
Charge d’ affaires / Deputy Permanent Representative
Before the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration Before the Special Committee On The Situation With Regard To The Implementation Of The Declaration On The Granting Of Independence To
Colonial Countries And Peoples

New York, 11 February 2004

Mr. Chairman,

My Delegation is pleased that the chairmanship of the Committee is in the capable hands of Ambassador Robert Aisi of Papua New Guinea. I take great pleasure in congratulating you on your assumption to this office. We have every confidence in your leadership and commitment, and I assure you that in carrying out your responsibilities, you can count on the support and cooperation of my delegation. Permit me also, at this juncture, to extend our felicitations to the other members of the Bureau.

We also welcome Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as new members of the Committee.

Furthermore, Mr. Chairman, permit me to pay tribute to your predecessor, Ambassador Stephen Huntley of Saint Lucia, for his laudable initiatives, during his tenure, inter alia, of conducting an informal meeting to seek a comprehensive solution to the 16 remaining of Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGTS).
We fully support this innovative idea, and I hope that the new chairman would continue with it.

Mr. Chairman,

The constitution of Indonesia solemnly states that independence is the right of all nations. Accordingly, Indonesia has always committed fully to a comprehensive solution of the outstanding NSGTs.

In 2000 the General Assembly declared the second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism. In this regard the Committee has, less than seven years left, to complete its task. Therefore, we look forward to the continued efforts to speedily and comprehensively find a solution to the remaining 16 NSGTs within this time frame. In the words of the Secretary General, it is time for the United Nations to bring to a close this colonial chapter of history.

The territories look to this Committee to provide guidance with regard to their right to self-determination, including independence, by developing their constitutional, political and economic systems. Last year there was a positive development in Anguilla as the United Kingdom, the administering Power agreed to have the regional seminar held in one of the remaining 16 NSGTs. We should recall that at the inception of the United Nations, the administering Powers undertook the obligation under the Charter to bring the territories under their administration to an appropriate level of self-government.

In this regard, I need to emphasize the importance of productive and continued cooperation with the administering Powers in the search for innovative and practical ways to reinvigorate the decolonization process.

As we embark on this session, we must continue to base our work on the principles of the UN Charter, General Assembly resolution 1514 and other relevant resolutions and decisions. One of the major tasks for this Committee this year is to put in place a series of programmes and actions for the territories. The Committee should continue to conduct more dialogues and contacts with all relevant parties, particularly the administering Powers. The regional seminar provides good opportunity for such contacts and dialogue.

Mr. Chairman,

It is the hope of my delegation that the year that follows will be a fruitful one for the Special Committee in its quest and mandate to advance the cause of decolonization for the people of the remaining no self governing territories.
Thank you.